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A Quick List to Start Your Boarding School Thinking

8 Reasons why Boarding School is a Good Choice for Difficult KidsI get to write continually about the positive aspects of the traditional boarding school experience.

Today, I found someone else’s quick look at boarding school benefits- Lucy Pritzker’s “8 Reasons why Boarding School is a Good Choice for Difficult Kids” on IECA’s Educational Consulting Blog.

Pritzker provides a quick picture for parents as they consider the benefits of a boarding school.

Pritzker’s sketch covers most of the boarding school good stuff- regular schedule, transitions from activity to activity, positive culture, small classes… I’d add a couple of omissions- involved adults and communication with parents.

If you’re a parent considering a boarding environment for your student, this list is a good place to start your thinking and efforts to match student and school.

One caveat- I have to say that I’m not a fan of Pritzker’s use of the term ‘difficult kids’ in her title and throughout her outline. Exactly what does that mean?

To me, her list of boarding school benefits includes much of what makes boarding work for just about any student.

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  • http://www.ConsultingForSpecialNeeds.com Lucy Pritzker, MS

    Hi Brian,
    Nice to see my list picked up here! I wanted to clarify my use of the term “difficult child” and it’s meaning.

    You are right, the benefits of boarding school are far reaching and make it a good choice for all different types of students.

    Typically I work with families with children with special needs. Sometimes the student has an alphabet soup of diagnoses, and other times there has been no answer to why the student is having difficulty academically, socially and/or emotionally.

    Dr. Stanley Turecki, a well known pyschiatrist and author, uses the term “difficult child” to describe kids who are a challenge to their parents, with or without a diagnosis. He has a quick questionaire online that does a good job defining ‘difficult.’ http://www.stanleyturecki.com/questionnaire.htm

    I find the term to be helpful when working with my clients to help them understand their family’s need for the benefits of boarding school.

    Hope that helps!

    Best,
    Lucy Pritzker, MS
    http://www.ConsultingForSpecialNeeds.com